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Friday, November 23, 2012

4-Minute Fat Loss Workouts

How To Make A 4 Minute Workout Better Than A 30 Minute Workout

As the dew started to evaporate in the early morning sun, trainer Mike Whitfield and his boot camp clients are grabbing a quick drink before they head into the last part of the workout and finish things up for the day.Mike likes to end his boot camps with a little thing he calls finishers. He refers to these as his secrete weapon. The're short, yet intense. And they get client's burning fat like mad.

The great thing about these finishers is that they're so short. They're only a few minutes long. Some are evan as short as 3 minutes. But don't let their length fool you. They pack a powerful punch.Their high intensity keeps Mike's clients from hitting plateaus, and the fat burning, each and every week. Just ask Philip. He lost 34 pounds in just 12 weeks.

The nice thing about bodyweight exercises is that they can be done anywhere. And research has proven them effective at burning body fat. No matter the program you're following, these finishers can be added to the end for an incredible fat loss effect.

It may sound crazy. But just 10 minutes can help you bust through a fat loss plateau to increase your weight loss.A Queen's University study revealed the same thing.The study looked at the effectiveness of bodyweight style finishers as compared to long slow cardio.

The Study(Reference: Appl Physiol Nutr Metab. 2012 Sep 20)

22 college-aged women

4 workouts per week

lasted 4 weeks

dived into 3 groups...

Group A did 30 minutes of treadmill running at 85% max heart rate

Group B did 8 rounds of 20 seconds of a single bodyweight exercise with 10 seconds of rest between rounds. (burpees, jumping jacks, mountain climbers, or squat thrusts)

Group C was the control group, they didn't do anything.

Results:

As you can expect both groups made a change and increased their aerobic fitness levels. But the interesting finding was that the increase was the same. Aerobic fitness levels increased by about 7-8%The 4 minute workouts did the same as the 30 minute workouts!Group B also got the added bonus of increased muscular endurance. It translated to better performance in common exercises like chest presses, leg extensions, sit-ups, and push-ups.

Maybe the most important factor is the greater overall workout enjoyment. Group B reported liking their workout more than those doing long slow cardio.As a conclusion to their study the researchers found that a low volume bodyweight interval-style workout will boost cardiovascular fitness just as well as traditional long slow cardio. Plus you get the added benefit of improved muscle endurance. All in a fraction of the time.See why Mike uses this method with his clients instead of long, boring cardio. He has even gone as far to given up on intervals.Unless you love cardio, you never have to step on a cardio machine again. Spend less time working out and more time doing stuff you love.Mike has put together a book of these different fat burning finishers for his clients. Because there isn't any equipment need, they can workout anytime, anywhere, and it only takes them a few minutes.Check them out for yourself and click here to see Mike's incredible weight loss story.